Wolverines Pound LeMoyne in GSU Invitational Finale

Sunday, March 5

Statesboro, Ga.

11:00 AM

Michigan

3-4

LeMoyne

3-5

LeMoyne

Michigan

3/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

STATESBORO, Ga. -- The University of Michigan baseball team used a five-run fourth inning to open up the game and defeated LeMoyne 9-4 in Sunday (March 5) action in the GSU Invitational, played in Jack Stallings Field at J.I. Clement Stadium on the campus of Georgia Southern University.

LeMoyne (3-5) from Syracuse, N.Y., captured the tournament title with a 2-1 record and tiebreakers over the other two teams, while Michigan (3-4) was 1-2 in the tourney.

The Wolverines jumped into the lead 2-0 in the second inning as sophomore 1B Nate Recknagel (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) led off the inning with a single to right and scored on a triple to right-center by freshman DH Adam Abraham (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich./South HS). Senior 3B A.J. Scheidt (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) drove in Abraham with a sacrifice fly to right.

Michigan batted around for the first time this season and added five runs in the fourth inning as Recknagel opened with a walk and was forced by Abraham. Scheidt doubled to right and Kunkel walked to load the bases before junior SS Leif Mahler (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) hit a sac fly to make it 3-0. Junior CF Eric Rose (Blissfield, Mich./Blissfield) and sophomore 2B Doug Pickens (West Bloomfield, Mich./Brother Rice) each had two-out, two-run singles.

Scheidt singled with one out in the fifth and moved to second as Kunkel drew his third walk of the game. Mahler singled to left and the score was 8-0. Senior RF Mike Schmidt (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage HS) drew his second walk to load the bases, and Rose was hit by a pitch to make the score 9-0.

Junior RHP Andrew Hess (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) worked 5.1 innings to record the win, allowing three hits and two runs. LeMoyne scored in the sixth inning when Hess gave up a walk and a double to Ben Gaal and senior RHP Jeff Niemiec (Livonia, Mich./Catholic Central) replaced Hess and gave a first-pitch homer to catcher Brian Hansen to make the score 9-3.

LeMoyne added a run off senior RHP Craig Murray (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) in the ninth on a double, a groundout, and a sac fly. Murray worked 2.1 innings, allowing the one hit.

Recknagel and Scheidt each had two hits to pace the eight-hit Wolverine attack.

Michigan meets Louisiana Tech on Friday (March 10, 2 p.m. CST) to open up action in the Baylor Ballpark Classic in Waco, Texas, with fifth-year senior RHP Drew Taylor (Toronto, Ontario/Upper Canada College) at 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA listed as the tentative starting pitcher.

N O T E S

LeMoyne entered the Sunday game vs. Michigan having already clinched the GSU Invitational championship, having gone 2-0 with wins over host Georgia Southern by a 6-4 margin and North Carolina Asheville, 14-6. Finishing 2-1 after the loss to the Wolverines LeMoyne has the tiebreakers over either GSU or UNCA, one of which will also finish 2-1.

Sophomore RF Doug Pickens had an interesting weekend moving around the field as he made his career debut as a catcher in the late innings vs. Georgia Southern after starting the first six games in rightfield. On Sunday vs. LeMoyne Pickens made his season starting debut at second base.

Doug Pickens (eight games) continued his hitting streak that includes one game from last season with his fourth inning two-run single vs. LeMoyne, while Eric Rose extended his hit streak to seven games. A.J. Scheidt, Leif Mahler and Adam Abraham each extended hit streaks to three games.

Michigan's leading hitters after seven games are: 1B/C/DH Nate Recknagel (7-for-18, .389), RF Doug Pickens (10-for-26, .385), 3B A.J. Scheidt (6-for-18, .333), CF Eric Rose (8-for-27, 296) and C Jeff Kunkel (7-for-25, .280).

Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423